


125 - a hunger games au

by nctzeno



Category: B.A.P, Day6 (Band), EXO (Band), NCT (Band), Pentagon (Korea Band), Topp Dogg (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Gen, Hunger Games, Hunger Games AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nctzeno/pseuds/nctzeno
Summary: The 125th Hunger Games are about to begin.





	1. introduction.

**Author's Note:**

> first chapter here is just a lil introduction to the whole story. the official story starts in the next chapter.

Twelve districts. Twenty-four tributes. One victor.

Everyone knew the games had supposedly ended after the rebellion with Everdeen, but once everything died down, a new leader came to power, and the games rose once again. They arrested the survivors of the rebellion; fifty years have passed, and the games continued. The rules have changed slightly - all the names were put into one bowl. The gender boundary was not an issue anymore; two boys could enter, as could two girls. Nonbinary individuals were also put into the bowl. Last names are no longer released.

District One:

  * YoungK (day6) and Tessa (@[jooncoffee](https://twitter.com/jooncoffee)).



District Two:

  * Jaehyung (day6) and Mariah (@[birthjaecake](https://twitter.com/birthjaecake)).



District Three:

  * Taeil (nct) and Joey @[WEKlSMEKI](https://twitter.com/WEKlSMEKI).



District Four:

  * Jisung (nct) and Georgie (@[bulgeun](https://twitter.com/bulgeun)).



District Five:

  * Yongguk (bap) and Mel (@[lbbhbam](https://twitter.com/lbbhbam)).



District Six:

  * Wonpil (day6) and Grace (@[busansroses](https://twitter.com/busansroses)).



District Seven:

  * Chanyeol (exo) and Codi (@[yeoltongue](https://twitter.com/yeoItongue)).



District Eight:

  * Sungjin (day6) and Fer (@[ulttsungjin](https://twitter.com/ulttsungjin)).



District Nine:

  * Sanggyun (toppdogg) and Hetty (@[sanygguns](https://twitter.com/sanygguns)).



District Ten:

  * Yan An (pentagon) and Kelly (@[ptgsgirl](https://twitter.com/ptgsgirl)).



District Eleven:

  * Himchan (bap) and Brie’an (@[kingkhc](https://twitter.com/kingkhc)).



District Twelve:

  * Jungkook (bts) and Morgan (@[vanillajeon](https://twitter.com/vaniIIajeon)).



\- The winner is randomly generated. I do not know who will win or die. The first twelve chapters will be about the tributes from each district. Two will be released daily (or that is the plan). If you are not one of the people who is paired with their bias, feel free to read along anyways, as the story isn't just about the non-idols. -

Twenty-four people go in, one comes out.

Who will be the winner?


	2. district one: tessa and youngk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Tessa and YoungK's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls note that this chapter will be a lil longer than the other tributes' chapters, as i need to introduce everything that is going on on reaping day. my writing is not that good here, but then again this is just for fun and nothing serious. also, i never call youngk brian lol, but i did for this chapter as writing "YoungK" or "Young K" was weird and it's just easier for me to write brian.

Tessa woke up that morning feeling more excited than nervous. She had been training for the games ever since she had learned of them. After two of her older brothers had entered, and lost, she was determined to avenge their deaths by entering the games and winning, regardless of whose name was drawn out of the bowl. 

“Are you ready?” 

Tessa looked up from buttoning her shirt. “Almost, Mom.” 

Her mom walked forward and pulled Tessa’s hair back, putting it into a bun. “You’re still set on volunteering?” 

Tessa nodded and took over finishing her hair. She turned to her mother and pulled her into a hug, then left the room to go find her brother. 

“You’re lucky you’re too old to be put into the bowl,” Tessa said when she found him in the living room. Not saying anything, he just walked forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. 

“Make Chris and David proud.” 

Tessa looked back at him and nodded, tears in her eyes. “I will.” 

-

Brian was up all night, pacing around his room. His parents told him to volunteer if his name wasn’t called, but he didn’t want to go into an arena with twenty-three bloodthirsty people who were determined to win the games. He wanted to please his parents, but he didn’t want to risk his life just to prove that he was worthy of love. 

Saying he was tired when the morning came was an understatement. He made three cups of coffee and downed them all before hugging his parents and leaving, as he and his girlfriend were planning on meeting up and walking to the reaping with each other. 

“Tess!” 

Tessa walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss before taking his hand. “We’re late as it is,” she said as she pulled him along. 

They walked hand in hand until they got to the three long lines of teenagers waiting to sign in. Fourteen and under in one line, fifteen through seventeen in another, and all eighteen year olds waited in a completely separate line. The couple both went to the same line of eighteen year olds, Tessa holding Brian’s hand even though he stood in front of her.

After they had signed in, they had to separate, as the crowd of teenagers was organized alphabetically. 

Waiting around for an hour made Brian even more anxious about the whole ordeal, while it made Tessa more excited, yet at the same time upset. But finally, the time arrived, and the spokesperson stepped out on stage.

“Welcome, District One, to the one hundred and twenty-fifth Hunger Games!” 

The crowd remained silent, and the person on the stage coughed awkwardly before continuing. 

“My name is Bambam, and I am here to pick the two very special tributes out of this big bowl right here. I am so excited!” 

Tessa shook her head at the saturated happiness that filled the man’s voice.

“You are all here today to carry on a tradition that was threatened fifty years ago. Fifty years ago today, there was a chance that the Hunger Games would be shut down completely. But luckily for us, our new gamemaker and president arose to power, and gave us the games once more!” Bambam paused and clapped, expecting the crowd to clap along. When silence was all that he got in return, he cleared his throat before continuing. “Because you are the first district to have your tributes chosen, we have the gamemaker and the president with us here today. Give it up for Gamemaker Jihoon, and President Minghao!”

Now, the crowd was forced to clap. The doors opened, and out stepped both the president and gamemaker. Brian took a deep breath and held it, trying to steady his heart rate. 

When the applause died down, the president stepped forward and said a few words thanking everyone for their cooperation, and how happy he was that they were all there today. The gamemaker stood in the back, silent, waiting until it was his turn to speak. When it was, he said a few words about how the games were to be a little special, since it was the fiftieth anniversary of them “coming back from the dead.” 

Brian looked around for Tessa, but she was closer to the front. As his real name was Younghyun, or YoungK, he stood all the way in the back with the T’s. What grabbed his attention, though, was what the gamemaker said before sitting back down. 

“As this year is a very special year, we are putting everyone’s names in double the amount they were originally. We don’t want to go full out special, as we have a few surprises for the games themselves, but for now, everyone has a double chance of being picked. Isn’t that exciting?” he asked, his voice dry. 

Brian’s heart started beating faster. 

Bambam thanked the gamemaker and president before going back up to the microphone and heading over to the big bowl that sat on the center of the stage. He waved his hand around before pulling out a slip of paper and opening it. He leaned forward, and with the words that he said next made Brian’s heart freeze.

“Younghyun.” 

“NO!” 

Tessa broke out of the crowd, breathing heavily, shaking her head. “I volunteer as tribute. I am not letting him go into the games.” 

Brian’s heart nearly broke in two as she walked up onto the stage; tears sprung to his eyes as he watched her stand there, looking at him. 

“Okay, we have a volunteer! Give it up for...what’s your name dear? Tessa!”

Brian just stood there as everyone clapped, trying to find the strength not to fall on his knees and sob in front of everyone. 

“Next tribute will be….oh my goodness what are the chances, Younghyun, again!” 

That was when he did fall to the ground, shaking. 

It couldn’t go like this. 

Tessa and him. 

And only one would possibly live. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be jaehyung and mariah from district 2.


	3. district two: mariah and jae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Mariah and Jaehyung's point of view.

Mariah woke up that morning feeling like it was any usual morning. She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t sad or upset either. She was, granted, a little anxious, but then again school gave her an anxious feeling every morning. She climbed out of bed and made her usual breakfast before changing into something a little nicer than usual, then going to wake up her older siblings. Both of her parents had said that they were going to sleep in, as there was no way Mariah was going to get chosen. Mariah had agreed with them and told them to get as much sleep necessary. 

Stephanie and Jason, however, promised they would come with her to the reaping. They woke up almost as soon as Mariah had opened their bedroom doors, apologizing for not getting up with her, and got ready quickly. Mariah thanked them once more before leaving the house, them right beside her.

Stephanie was twenty-five, and Jason was twenty-seven. Neither had been reaped before, and they were both simultaneously praying that their good luck streak would continue on to Mariah. Their parents easily believed that it would - it had, after all, for the past five years that Mariah had been old enough to be picked. What difference would this year be?

Once Mariah had signed in, she found her spot easily, as she had arrived a little early. Stephanie and Jason both sat down in the area for friends and family that were either too old or too young to be picked. Mariah held up her hands in a heart sign before turning around and focusing her attention on the stage.

-

Jae woke up that morning excited. He was ready to take on the world, or, in this case, the Hunger Games. He was going to volunteer if he wasn’t picked, no matter what. He had trained, and even though he only appeared to be scrawny and weak, he knew how to fight. Ever since the rebellion had happened, the stigma that the first few districts trained intensely for the game died down, but Jae believed that he should keep the name for his district alive by volunteering for, and winning, the games. 

He said goodbye to his older sister, who wasn’t coming to the reaping because she had work, then left with his parents to go to the stadium where the reaping was being held. He didn’t tell his parents that he was volunteering, as he knew that they would react negatively; instead, he kept it a secret, hoping that they wouldn’t hate him when he did volunteer. 

He found his spot, and soon the presenter came out and gave his speech. Jae listened intently, even though he had heard the same information every single year since he had turned twelve. The only thing that shocked him, though, was the reveal that everyone’s names were put in double the amount of times. But, besides that fact, he didn’t worry.

Mariah took a deep breath as the first name was pulled out of the bowl, praying that it wasn’t her.

“Jaehyung.” 

Her eyes widened and she let out a huge sigh of relief, turning back to glance at her siblings who beamed back at her with hope in their eyes.

Jae stepped out of the crowd and started walking to the stage, trying to ignore his parents’ cries for someone to volunteer to take his place. He was secretly overjoyed that he didn’t have to volunteer, as he hadn’t wanted to personally break his parents’ hearts. But here he was, with them crying and the crowd of teenagers staring at him as he stood alone on the stage, pretending to look scared and upset. He looked over at Bambam, the presenter, who nodded and walked back over to the bowl to pull out the second name.

Mariah held her breath. 

“And the second tribute will be...Mariah!” 

And everything froze.

It was her. She was called. That was her name. 

The people in her row stared at her as she tried to tell her legs to move, to onto the stage. She turned around and looked at her brother and sister, who just sat there, tears falling as their mouths hung open in shock. 

This can’t be.

She walked up on stage, shook hands with Jae, then stared out into the audience and at her siblings. They clung onto each other, not looking back at her. Tears came to her eyes as she and Jae were led off stage, but she wiped them away, shaking her head.

She was going to be brave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be joey and taeil from district 3.


	4. district three: joey and taeil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Joey and Taeil's point of view.

“Joey, Joe, Joe, Joey, Joseph, Joe, Joey, Joe -”

Joey blinked as he sat up. “Oh my goodness, what is it?”

His eight year old brother, Connor, stood at the edge of his bed, holding a plate full of food. Joey sat up and frowned, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

“I made you breakfast! Well, Elise helped make it, but like she’s older so she doesn’t count. I did it! I hope it’s -” 

Joey held his hand up, sitting up completely and leaning forward, looking at the food on the plate. It was burnt toast, with eggs and sausage. He grinned at his little brother, who beamed back at him. “Thank you, Con, this means a lot to me.” 

“Since you’re the only person in our family now that’s old enough to be reaped, Connor and I thought that you deserved something a little extra special.” 

Joey looked up to see his big sister standing in the doorway, her arms crossed with a smile on her face. He took the plate from Connor and thanked both of them once more before beginning to eat it, pretending to absolutely love the burnt toast. Once he was finished, he placed the plate down on his bedside table and went into the living room, where all of his siblings and parents were sitting down in a chair or on the couch. They all stood up when they noticed he entered, and gave him a hug one by one.

“Guys, guys,” he said, laughing as his older brother sat back down on the couch. “There’s a tiny chance that I’m going to be picked anyways, okay? It’s not like I’m leaving and it’s automatically one hundred percent determined that I’m going to be chosen for the games, okay? It’s okay!” 

“Yes, but...there’s a chance.” 

Joey smiled and sighed, shaking his head. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

-

Taeil was scared. His younger sister was also put into the bowl, and he was terrified that she was going to be the one picked.

“Promise me that you will volunteer if she gets picked,” his mom said to him the night before the reaping. “She’s only fourteen. Please don’t let a fourteen year old girl go into the deadly games that is the Hunger Games, please, baby, please.”

Ignoring the “but what about me?” thoughts, he promised. And now that it was time, he was more than scared that either one of them was going to be chosen.

When they had both found where they needed to be, Taeil closed his eyes and tried to ignore what the presenter was saying. The time soon came for the names to be picked, though, and Taeil held his breath as the first card was pulled out.

“Taeil.” 

Oh no.

He stepped out of the crowd and instantly looked around for his sister. Once he had located her he looked at her, hoping she understood the message in his eyes - that it was going to be okay, that she was going to be safe. It’s okay, it’s okay.

Once he had gotten on stage, the presenter nodded and went back to the bowl to call out the second name.

“Yeojin.”

No.

“No, no! NO!” 

Taeil rushed forward and towards the microphone, shaking as he tried to get out his next sentence. He pushed away the Capital guards who thought he was trying to attack Bambam, and once they realized that he wasn’t, they let him be. “Someone volunteer. Please! PLEASE! Someone volunteer, I can’t let my sister go into the games, please, I can’t, she’s only fourteen, can someone please volunteer -”

“I volunteer as tribute!”

Taeil froze as a boy stepped out of the crowd, obviously shaking, but with a determined look in his eyes. Taeil turned around and went back to his original spot, tears still running down his eyes as the boy made his way onto the stage. 

“Thank you,” Taeil mouthed, and the boy nodded.

“What’s your name?” Bambam asked. 

“Joey.”

“Give it up for Joey, everyone!”

Joey just looked over at Taeil, who was still shaking and trying not to cry, and took his hand in his just to provide a little comfort.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, more to himself than to Taeil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be georgie and jisung from district 4.


	5. district four: georgie and jisung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Georgie and Jisung's point of view.

Georgie woke up crying. 

Her thirteen year old brother, who had slept in the bed cuddled up next to her because he was scared about the reaping that morning, sat up instantly and held onto her, trying to calm her down. Her other brother heard her from the other room and soon found his way onto Georgie’s bed, wrapping his arms around her as well. She soon calmed down enough to take deep breaths, then pulled away and kissed the younger boys on the forehead. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up,” she said as she got out of bed, still wiping away tears. Dan just shook his head.

“It’s okay!”

Georgie bent down and brushed the bangs out her seven year old brother’s face. “I love you, Johnny.” 

Johnny just beamed at her as she stood back up, looking into the mirror that sat above her dresser. Most of the time, her brothers would ignore her, but since today was a scary day, they were just as frightened as she was at the chance of she or Dan, the thirteen year old, getting picked to join the games. 

“Come on, you two. Mom’s gonna take Johnny, while I’m walking with Dan to get signed in, okay?” 

“Okay,” both boys echoed.

Once both Dan and Georgie had gotten ready, they left earlier to sign in. Georgie kissed Dan on the forehead once more before helping him know where to go, then finding her own spot. 

\- 

Jisung had arrived at the stadium an hour earlier than anyone else. He couldn’t sleep, and so he did what he usually did: went on a late night, or, early morning, walk. He arrived at the stadium and just looked in, his heart racing. It had been rumored that everybody’s names had been put in double, which mean he was twice as likely to get his name called. He was terrified, but tried to convince himself that it would be okay. There’s a two in about a two, maybe three hundred chance that he was going to get picked. It wasn’t going to happen.

He sat down and waited for the stadium to open and let teenagers in.

Once it did, he signed in, then went inside and sat down on his spot, knowing that the other teenagers would soon arrive, but it would be a while until they all showed up.

After the announcer, Bambam, gave his speech about why they were there and why the games were still taking place, the time came where the names would be pulled. Georgie held her breath as the first name was drawn and read off. 

“Jisung.” 

She let out a sigh of relief as a small boy, about her age, made his way onto the stage, trembling. She already felt sorry for him, and made a plan to root for him once she was home and the games began. 

The second name was to be called out. 

“Georgie.”

Scratch that.

Georgie also started trembling as she heard Johnny screaming in the background that no, stop, that’s my big sister, no, no, no. But nobody volunteered as she walked up on stage. She shook hands with Jisung, then looked out into the crowd. “I love you,” she mouthed to her siblings, then was ushered backstage by the Capital guards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be mel and yongguk from district 5.


	6. district five: mel and yongguk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Mel and Yongguk's point of view.

“You’re going to make us proud.” 

“Your brother did it, so you can do it.”

“All your training will pay off.” 

“You’re small, so people will underestimate you. Surprise them.” 

Mel was slightly offended at the last statement, but took them all in as motivation. They were not looking forward to the games, and needed every last bit possible. 

Their older brother, Charles, was famous in their district. Because of him, the family was considered rich. He had won the 111th Games at age seventeen, and ever since then, he was known as almost a god. Mel was slightly jealous at the attention he got, but at the same time, was glad it was him, and not them. But, people at Mel’s school all depended on them to actually volunteer as a tribute this year’s games. It had been fourteen years since Charles won, and now Mel was the same age as he had been when he had competed. In previous years, they had never gotten up the courage to volunteer, and as they hadn’t been picked at all, they never had the chance to compete.

But now that they were seventeen, they felt more determination than ever. They were either going to make their family proud, or die doing so.

“I don’t think I can do this.” 

Namjoon tilted his head, frowning. “But you’re the strongest, most badass person I know.”

Mel smiled a small smile, then took a deep breath. “I...I honestly don’t think I can. But what if I do? What if I join and then I die and then I disappoint my family and...what if I don’t and I disappoint them straight out of the gates and -”

Namjoon placed his hand on their shoulder. “Take a deep breath. Slow. It’s okay, it’s going to be okay. If you do volunteer, or get chosen, you’re most likely going to win. And if not, then you’re going to go down in glory and make your family so incredibly proud. And if you don’t? Your family may be disappointed, but they will understand. They’re family, they have to. Right?”

Mel shrugged, taking a deep breath. “I mean, sure.” 

Namjoon pulled them into a hug. “You better go and sign in. You don’t wanna be late.” 

Mel nodded and thanked him once more before running off.

-

Yongguk, however, was feeling more confident than most likely anyone in the entire competition. He wasn’t planning on volunteering, but he secretly prayed that he would be picked, as this was his last year. If he didn’t, it wasn’t a big deal, but it would be exciting if he did. He was confident that if he was picked, he would win. And that was that.

He arrived to sign in a little bit late, almost as the thing was starting, but managed to find his spot easily. He was in the back, and not a lot of people had “Y” names, so it wasn’t hard to find. The presenter gave a long speech, then waved his hand around in the bowl, being just a little bit dramatic about the revealing.

He pulled a piece of paper out and opened the slip, then read out the name. It was one that Yongguk knew all too well: his all time high school crush, the sibling of the previous winner. Mel.

Mel, on the other hand, was more relieved than upset. They didn’t have to worry about volunteering. They had no choice but to go into the games and show what they’ve got. They would make their family proud. 

After they were in their spot on stage, the second name was called out. 

“Yongguk.” 

Yongguk took a deep breath and stepped out of the crowd. Now that his name was actually called, his confidence began draining away. As he climbed the steps, Mel watched him, their eyes piercing. Slowly, the confidence returned, and once he was on the stage beside Mel, easily towering over them, he was just as confident about the games as he was before the reaping. 

“Thank you for coming out this morning. The families will get to say one last goodbye to the tributes before they are sent to the Capital. Have a wonderful day!” 

Yongguk looked at Mel as they were led off the stage, and they glanced back, a foreign look of fear in their eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be grace and wonpil from district 6.


	7. district six: grace and wonpil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Grace's and Wonpil's point of view.

Grace was just a little nervous about the reaping that morning. Of course, so was everyone else in her district, so she reasoned with herself that it would be okay. She would be okay, she wasn’t going to get picked, and even if she was, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. She had trained herself to be a good fighter; she knew how to defend herself. She would be okay.

Her parents didn’t think so. They begged her to stay home and pretend that she was sick. But Grace disagreed, knowing that they could get arrested or worse, killed, for not attending the reaping. Her logic was that if she was going to be picked, it was better only her than her entire family dead. 

So, regardless of what they said, she left the house that morning.

-

Wonpil woke up that morning terrified. He, on the other hand, was almost convinced that it would be okay if he faked being sick and just stayed in his house the entire day. But when his parents asked if he was ready, he faked that he was brave and okay and yes okay let’s do this, but on the inside, he wanted to hide under his blanket. 

He met up with his good friend, Grace, and they walked to the stadium together, discussing the games and previous winners. They arrived to the place where they were to sign in relatively quickly, and Wonpil pulled Grace into a long hug before leaving to go to the eighteen year old line. Grace sighed and went to her line.

Once both were signed in, they found their spot in the crowd relatively quickly, and the whole ordeal began not soon after. Bambam gave his speech, but Grace wasn’t listening. She was more fascinated by the amount of glitter he had on his face and in his hair, and how blinding his suit was, both figuratively and literally. It was bright pink with sequins covering every inch of it, and the light reflected off of those sequins quite easily. Grace squinted as Bambam waved his hands about, his outfit acting as some sort of disco ball.

Finally, he was evidently done babbling, and it was time to pick the tributes. Grace held her breath as he walked over to the bowl, her heart racing.

Bambam closed his eyes and grabbed a slip of paper, then read off the name.

“Wonpil.”

Grace’s heart stopped in its tracks as she watched her best friend walk up the steps to the stage. She saw his eyes search the audience for her, and when they found her he smiled weakly, and she attempted to smile back. 

Bambam walked back over to the bowl and waved his hand around once more. He pulled out another slip and opened it, Grace’s heart beginning to race again.

“Grace.”

Grace’s heart, again, stopped dead in its tracks. She stepped out of the crowd and walked up on stage, shaking Wonpil’s hand. 

“What are the chances,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be codi and chanyeol from district 7.


	8. district seven: codi and chanyeol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Codi and Chanyeol's point of view.

Codi and Cori both woke up anxious but excited about the reaping. It was Cori’s last year to be put into the bowl, and Codi’s third. Cori had been picked once, but somebody had volunteered, which Codi should have been grateful for, but instead made her more anxious. What if Cori was picked again today? Would anyone volunteer for her then?

The sisters got ready; Cori helped pull Codi’s hair into a braided bun, then slipped a small rose into the hairdo without Codi noticing. Codi turned her head to thank her sister before getting up out of the chair and Cori sitting down. Codi then continued to help Cori with her hair. 

After they were dressed and ready to leave, they said goodbye to their parents (who would follow them closer to the beginning of the event), and left the house. They signed in relatively quickly, and as both of their names started with c, they went to their spots, which were right next to each other. 

-

Chanyeol fixed his tie, trying to make sure he looked okay. He took a deep breath as he looked in the mirror; his sister entered the room and helped him straighten it. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for today?” she asked. 

He nodded. “I mean, I kind of have to be, don’t I, whether I like it or not.”

“You’re right,” she replied, then pulled him into a hug. “You’re going to be okay.”

He rolled his eyes as he patted her on the back before pulling away, smiling weakly at her. “I’ll try to be,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Want me to walk you over to the stadium?”

Chanyeol nodded. 

They arrived soon, and once he signed in he hugged her once more before finding his spot. He luckily was assigned next to one of his closest friends, Codi. He gave her a smile and she smiled back before turning towards the stage where someone had appeared.

“Hello, District Seven, and welcome to the 125th Hunger Games!” 

The man on stage introduced himself as Bambam, and both Codi and Chanyeol took a deep breath as he dove into his long speech. They both instinctively reached for the other’s hand, and soon their fingers were intertwined.

Finally, the time came for where the names were to be drawn. Bambam waved his hand around in the bowl dramatically, then pulled out a slip of paper and read off the name. 

“Cori!”

Codi looked at Cori, eyes filled with panic, then back at Chanyeol. As Cori began to move to exit the crowd, Codi began to work up the courage to volunteer as tribute, but right as she opened her mouth to do so, Chanyeol shouted, “I volunteer as tribute!” 

Both Codi and Cori gasped, and Codi shook her head, frowning. “You - you can’t!” 

But apparently he could, as he was led by the Capital guards up on stage, and stood there with his hands behind his back, his head up. He found his sister’s gaze and sent her a small smile before looking out into the audience of teenagers. 

Once Bambam had gotten Chanyeol’s name and the awkward clapping for the volunteer had ceased, he walked back over to the bowl and pulled out another name.

Codi held her breath as she and Cori stood together, anxiously awaiting the reveal.

“Cori! Wait, wait, no! Codi! So sorry, the names are quite similar. It’s Codi!”

Codi’s heart sunk as she left, her sister trying to keep her in the spot. Codi pulled away and walked up onto the stage, heart racing as she found her spot next to Chanyeol. She looked at him, and their eyes met before they were ushered off the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be sungjin and fer from district 8.


	9. district eight: fer and sungjin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaping Day from Fer and Sungjin's point of view.

Fer and Sungjin both awoke that morning feeling the exact same thing: both anxious and scared but ready at the same time. They both got out of bed and got ready easily, then ate breakfast that their mother had made them. They both said goodbye to their parents and left the house alone, both walked to the stadium and signed in quickly before finding their spot in the crowd. 

Fer had three younger siblings who were also signing in, but they were to arrive only a little later with their parents. Fer had gotten a head start, as she needed to think about whether or not she was going to volunteer or not. Being the oldest of her siblings, she knew she needed to help her parents provide for her and the family. She didn’t know whether she wanted to volunteer or not, but she knew that the winner’s family would be the richest in the district. She knew they needed that, but wasn’t sure whether or not it would be worth it. 

Sungjin, however, wasn’t planning to volunteer at all if he wasn’t picked. The only instance where he would volunteer would be if one of his friends got chosen, but he was almost certain that they wouldn’t. He was happy that since he was eighteen, it was his last year to be entered into the possibility of being chosen to enter the games. So far, he hadn’t been picked, and neither had any of his friends. Sure, this year it could change, but things also usually stay the way they are, so Sungjin wasn’t worried. And if he was chosen? No big deal. He would fight for his life and try his hardest to win.

The presenter soon came out and introduced himself as Bambam. Fer looked around in a panic, but she found her siblings in the crowd almost as Bambam began his long speech. She sighed with relief and turned back to the front, focusing on the man on stage.

The speech, as both Sungjin and Fer had expected, was pretty long. But, it was over after a while, and soon came the time for the tributes to be chosen. Bambam walked over to the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper, then went over to the microphone and read out the name. 

“Sungjin.” 

Fer frowned. She recognized that name. She got a good look at him as he was walking up the stairs to the stage and took a deep breath, now that she knew who he was. He was the valedictorian of their grade, the smartest kid in school. Several people admired him, along with Fer, but she never hung out with him or his group. 

Sungjin sighed as he stood on the stage. He had been chosen, meaning that he was going to have to go into the games whether he liked it or not.

Bambam returned to the bowl and fished out another name. “Fernanda.” 

A strange feeling of either anxiety or relief or a weird mix of both washed over Fer as she walked up on stage. She couldn’t describe what she was feeling, even to herself, as she shook Sungjin’s hand and turned to face the audience. 

Both eighteen year olds were going into the games. Both were determined to win for their family, or for themselves.

Sungjin nodded at Fer as the Capital guards motioned them to exit the stage and follow them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next tributes' stories will be sanggyun and hetty from district 9.


End file.
